Department of Health and Social Care

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the reports published in November 2022 on independent investigations into the care and treatment of Emily, Christie and Nadia by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, if he will undertake a review of the geographical boundaries of that Trust.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that all parts of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Mental Health Trust operate safely.

Maria Caulfield: We have no plans at present to undertake such a review. NHS England and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are continuing to work with the Trust and local partners to improve services and ensure that patients receive safe, high quality care. The report of the system-wide independent investigation into concerns and issues raised relating to the safety and quality of child and adolescent mental health services provision at West Lane Hospital, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust was published on 21 March 2023. Recommendations from this investigation will be taken forward by the Trust and local system and will be overseen through the NHS England and integrated care board Oversight Board. CQC rated the Trust overall as ‘Requires Improvement’ following its last comprehensive inspection report published in December 2021. CQC continues to monitor the activity of the Trust and has ongoing communication and regular engagement meetings with the Trust. CQC plans to re-inspect the Trust later this year, including unannounced inspections of four core services and a well-led inspection. In addition, the Trust launched its five-year change programme, ‘Our Journey to Change’, in March 2021. This sets out three main goals with a focus on patient safety and quality: to co-create a great experience for patients, carers and families; to co-create a great experience for colleagues; and to be a great partner. The Government has commissioned a rapid review into mental health inpatient services that will identify how to improve the way that risks to patients in mental health hospitals are identified. The rapid review does not preclude any future inquiries.

Ambulance Services: Mortality Rates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on (a) excess deaths and (b) ambulance waiting times in (i) York Ambulance Service and (ii) England in the last 12 months.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many serious incidences have been recorded by each of the Ambulance Trusts in each of the last 12 months for which data is available.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of excess deaths that can be attributed to long waiting times at Yorkshire Ambulance Service in the last 12 months.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people died in Yorkshire Ambulance Service ambulances waiting outside hospitals in the latest period for which data is available.

Will Quince: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has reported on excess mortality throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In the year to 24 February 2023, there were 45,232 excess deaths in England. Excess deaths are not reported by ambulance service region.Tables showing the ambulance response times against the national standards in the last 12 months by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service and in England are attached.The information requested on serious incidents in ambulance trusts across the last 12 months is shown in the attached table.No such estimate of excess deaths attributed to long ambulance waiting times has been made. There are a wide variety of factors contributing to excess deaths. It is likely that a combination of factors has contributed to excess deaths over the last 12 months, including high flu prevalence, cold weather, the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.The number of deaths in ambulances waiting outside hospitals is not collected centrally.Yorkshire and England ambulance response times (docx, 31.1KB)Ambulance trusts serious incidents last 12 months (xlsx, 19.9KB)

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to work with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation manufacturers to support the implementation of a universal immunisation programme for the prevention of RSV-related lower respiratory tract infections in infants, to reduce winter pressures on the NHS.

Maria Caulfield: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provides the Government with advice on all immunisation programmes, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The JCVI is actively reviewing evidence around available products and the potential for an expanded or universal RSV programme. Once the JCVI have concluded their review of evidence and any advice is made, the Department will work with manufacturers, alongside the UK Heath Security Agency and NHS England, to support the implementation of advice as soon as is practicable.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the minute of meeting held on 1 February 2023 by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), for what reason a budget has not been allocated for a national respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programme for the prevention of RSV related lower respiratory tract infections in infants for 2023-24.

Maria Caulfield: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are actively considering the potential for an expanded or universal respiratory syncytial virus programme. Once the JCVI have concluded their robust review of evidence, the Department will support the implementation of any advice with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency as soon as is practicable, including, if necessary, engaging with HM Treasury to seek budgetary support for a potential programme.

Air Pollution: Children

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the impact of air quality on the health and wellbeing of people under the age of 18.

Maria Caulfield: Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the United Kingdom. Children are more vulnerable to the effects from air pollution exposure than adults due to their incomplete lung development, high physical activity and breathing rates, as well as lower height which increases exposure to traffic pollution.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has studied children’s exposure to air pollution in outdoor school environments in England. In 2017, around one third of schools in England, representing around 3.4 million pupils, were located in areas with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exceeding the World Health Organization’s previous guideline of PM2.5 of 10 µg/m3.Long-term exposure to air pollution can suppress lung function growth in children. Children can be at risk from respiratory problems such as wheezing, asthma and respiratory infections, and reduced cognitive performance.UKHSA has a Clean Air Programme which aims to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution, particularly the most vulnerable groups, including children. A copy of UKHSA’s ‘Chemical Hazards and Poisons Report’ of June 2022 is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1083447/CHaPR_AQ_Special_Edition_2206116.pdf

Diphtheria: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he had discussions with the Secretary of State for Home Affairs on taking steps to help tackle the potential risk of diptheria infection in Slough ahead of the Home Office's decision to place diptheria-positive people in Slough hotels; and whether he plans to take steps to help increase the rate of diptheria innoculations in Slough.

Maria Caulfield: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care meets regularly with other Cabinet colleagues, and ministerial meetings with external organisations are routinely published on GOV.UK. Officials attended a meeting chaired by the Home Office, alongside the East Berkshire Director of Public Health, Slough Local Authority colleagues and integrated care board partners, about people who had been placed in hotels who were diphtheria positive, where local concerns about this decision were raised with the Home Office.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has made recommendations for all new arrivals to receive a diphtheria containing vaccine as part of the ongoing outbreak response amongst asylum seekers. In addition, there are long-standing recommendations in place for migrants to be registered with primary care, and to have an assessment to check that they are up to date with the routine vaccinations and receive the recommended vaccines according to the United Kingdom schedule. To support the diphtheria outbreak response, UKHSA has produced a range of materials including information leaflets translated in a range of languages.UKHSA published supplementary guidance on 1 February 2023 for cases and outbreaks in asylum seeker accommodation settings. This can be found at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1133676/Diphtheria-AS-supplementary-guidance-1February23.pdf

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Office for National Statistics on the pause to the Covid-19 Infection Survey; what assessment he has made of the potential impact on his Department’s ability to ensure that policy across the Government on Covid-19 is driven by the latest data; how Covid-19 infection levels will now be monitored; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the decision on immunosuppressed people who rely on the survey to take decisions on which safeguards to use.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are reviewing their approach to COVID-19 surveillance, which includes discussions between UKHSA and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The UKHSA will continue to publish the latest data on COVID-19 through the weekly surveillance reports providing data on infection rates, hospitalisation numbers and vaccination uptake. We will maintain the ability to track the latest variants through our genomics capabilities, which assess the risks posed by different strains of the virus. These reports help inform current and future Government policy decisions.UKHSA will confirm details of any new surveillance surveys that continue beyond 31 March 2023 in due course.We will continue to communicate to people most vulnerable to COVID-19 about available clinical interventions, including vaccination and treatments, as well as testing and public health advice.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mammograms were delayed in (a) England (b) London and (c) Enfield North constituency in the period between 2020 and 2022; and how many delayed mammograms detected breast cancer in (i) England (ii) London and (iii) Enfield North.

Helen Whately: NHS England cannot provide the number of mammograms which were delayed as NHS England internal unpublished data is unvalidated and not appropriate for sharing.

Ulcerative Colitis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The information is not collected in the format requested.

Lung Diseases

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that (a) asthma, (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (c) other respiratory health diseases are priorities of the forthcoming Major Conditions and Disease Strategy.

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Major Conditions and Disease Strategy will help ensure that the availability of essential inhalers for certain respiratory health diseases.

Helen Whately: Work on the Major Conditions Strategy is ongoing and we are committed to ensuring that the Strategy’s approach is rooted in the best understanding of the evidence to tackle the major conditions which contribute to the burden of disease in England, including respiratory conditions. This includes seeking the views of and working closely with stakeholders, citizens and the National Health Service.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of funding an universal immunisation programme for respiratory syncytial virus-related lower respiratory tract infections in infants in 2023-24.

Maria Caulfield: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are actively considering the potential for an expanded or universal respiratory syncytial virus programme. Once the JCVI have concluded their robust review of evidence, the Department will support the implementation of any advice with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency as soon as is practicable, including engaging with HM Treasury to seek budgetary support for a potential programme.

Disease Control

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to establish a network of relevant stakeholders to advise him on planning for (a) future outbreaks and (b) Mpox.

Maria Caulfield: On behalf of the Secretary of State, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is responsible for protecting the nation from the impact of key health threats, including, but not limited to, future outbreaks of infectious diseases. As part of its work to prepare for, prevent and respond to emerging health threats UKHSA regularly engages with a wide network of relevant stakeholders. This includes key delivery partners, such as the National Health Service, Local Authorities and the life sciences industry, academia, civil society organisations and international partners.In relation to mpox specifically, UKHSA convenes a cross-agency mpox oversight group to consult on key issues relating to the mpox response in the United Kingdom. This group comprises key stakeholders from across UKHSA, the Department, NHS England, local Government, clinical professional bodies and civil society. UKHSA continues to monitor the epidemiology of the mpox outbreak and stands ready to scale up its response as required.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to implement a universal immunisation programme for respiratory syncytial virus-related lower respiratory tract infections in infants in autumn 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is actively reviewing evidence about a potential universal respiratory syncytial virus programme. Once JCVI have concluded their review and any advice is made, the Department will work with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to support implementation of advice as soon as is practicable.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommendation to work towards replacing palivizumab with nirsevimab in 2022, what steps his Department plans to take to work with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to agree an innovative procurement route to enable an expanded immunisation programme for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-related lower respiratory tract infections for the 2023-24 winter season.

Maria Caulfield: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that the current respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) monoclonal antibody, palivizumab, should be replaced by nirsevimab for the existing, targeted cohort. The Department, the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England are engaging with the manufacturer to support this change in time for the 2023/24 winter season.The JCVI is actively reviewing evidence about a potential expanded RSV programme. Once the JCVI have concluded their review of evidence and any advice is made, the Department will support the implementation of any changes advised by the JCVI as soon as is practicable, including working closely with NHS England and UKHSA.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Shortages

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry on shortages of HRT medication; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate supply of that medication.

Maria Caulfield: In 2022 both myself and the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care attended a roundtable with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) suppliers. I also met with representatives from the British Generic Manufacturers Association and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. On 8 February I met with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee to discuss the Hormone Replacement Therapy Pre-payment Certificate and HRT supply.The Department is continuing to work very closely with industry, meeting with suppliers, many of them on a weekly basis as well as at quarterly roundtables, to monitor current stock availability and upcoming deliveries, prevent and manage supply issues, share updates on key policy developments and information on demand impacts and horizon scan for potential future challenges, to support suppliers with their forecasting.Demand remains extremely high, particularly for a small number of very popular products. However, access to high-demand products has improved since we issued Serious Shortage Protocols on HRT products to limit dispensing to three months’ supply to even out distribution and allow alternative products to be dispensed, as necessary.There are over 70 HRT products available in the United Kingdom, including alternatives to those that are in short supply, and the vast majority of those are in stock.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Danny Kruger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the independent report entitled JCVI statement on the COVID-19 vaccination programme for 2023, updated on 27 January 2023, on what evidential basis the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has proposed including children over the age of (a) 12 who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression and (b) 16 who are carers in the targeted primary course covid-19 vaccination programme in 2023, in the context of the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing transmission.

Maria Caulfield: The advice within the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) interim statement of 25 January 2023 is that primary course COVID-19 vaccination should move, over the course of 2023, towards a more targeted offer to protect those persons at higher risk of severe COVID-19. As this advice is interim, further work will be done to finalise the eligible cohorts in due course.Current COVID-19 vaccines may provide some short term protection against infection and onwards transmission and this may reduce the risk of transmission from household contacts to immunosuppressed individuals who are at high risk of complications, and who may not directly benefit from vaccination.The vaccination of household contacts and carers may provide some short term protection against infection and may reduce the risk of onwards transmission to those at higher risk. It will also reduce the risk of serious disease in carers, which, if they were to fall ill, may compromise the welfare of those they care for.

Prosthetics: Children and Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether funding is available to enable children and young people to access bionic prosthetics as of 27 March 2023.

Maria Caulfield: In October 2022, NHS England published a clinical commissioning policy for multi-grip upper limbs, which can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-commissioning-policy-multi-grip-prosthetic-hand-all-ages/This supports the provision of multi-grip upper limbs for both adults and children, where clinically appropriate. Microprocessor lower limbs are not routinely available for children and young people due to the length of the residual limb and their ability to tolerate the weight of a microprocessor-controlled knee.

Disability: Health and Social Services

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the backlog in health and services for disabled children.

Maria Caulfield: To tackle backlogs in elective care, including where accessed by disabled children, the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to drive up and protect elective activity. This funding could deliver the equivalent of around nine million more checks and procedures and will mean the National Health Service in England can aim to deliver approximately 30% more elective activity by 2024/25 than before the pandemic.In addition, the Department for Education is providing support for families of children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability). This support includes an investment of £6.1 million this financial year to strengthen the participation of parents and young people in the SEND system. The Department for Education is also investing £27.3 million this year to support low-income families with seriously ill or disabled with the cost of equipment, goods and services through Support for Families with Disabled Children Funding.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Television Licences: Non-payment

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to change the penalties imposed on people who have not paid for their TV licence because they cannot afford to.

Julia Lopez: The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the Government. The Government expects the BBC to collect the licence fee in an efficient and proportionate manner.The requirement to hold a TV Licence is set out in the Communications Act 2003 and the Communications (Television Licensing) 2004. The current cost of a TV licence is £159 with the maximum penalty for TV licence evasion being a fine of £1,000. The sentencing court will determine the level of the fine. MOJ statistics indicate that the average fine is around £175.In February 2020, the Government launched a public consultation on decriminalising TV licence evasion. The responses highlighted the considerable stress and anxiety the criminal sanction can cause for individuals, including the most vulnerable in society.The Government remains concerned that a criminal sanction for TV licence evasion is increasingly disproportionate and unfair in a modern public service broadcasting system. We will be looking at ways to ensure the BBC’s funding model is sustainable in the long-term, which will include asking whether a mandatory licence fee with criminal penalties for individual households is still appropriate.The Government has also taken steps to support licence fee payers. This includes freezing the licence fee for two years, which aims to support households at a time when they need that support the most. The Government also introduced the Simple Payment Plan in April 2020, a flexible payment instalment scheme that allows customers to pay in fortnightly or monthly instalments throughout the year, and is available to certain customers who currently struggle to pay the TV licence fee. More information on the Simple Payment Plan and its eligibility criteria can be found here.

Entertainments: Government Assistance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department is providing to the fair, circus and showground industries; what assessment she has made of the contribution of that sector to culture; and if she will make a statement.

Julia Lopez: The Government strongly believes in the benefits that the arts and creative industries bring to the UK, and this includes fairs, circuses and showgrounds. The cultural and creative industries are some of the fastest growing sectors of the UK economy, and the Government is committed to helping them continue to grow.Our arm’s-length body, Arts Council England, funds local festivals and circus arts, both through performing arts organisations and individuals who practise circus skills.For example, in 2021-22 Arts Council England invested over £6.5 million in circus-related activity. Organisations such as Out There Arts in Great Yarmouth and Greenwich & Docklands Festival in London offer a range of support for established and emerging circus artists. Companies such as Upswing and Gorilla Circus offer performance and participation opportunities to people of all ages, and organisations such as Circomedia in Bristol offer a range of support for established and emerging circus artists, directors, and choreographers.

Cabinet Office

Census

Paul Girvan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of holding a census every five years.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentlemen Parliamentary Question of 24th March 2023 is attached. UKSA Response (pdf, 107.3KB)

Committee of Privileges: Legal Costs

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the value for money of funding the legal fees for the Rt hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip for his involvement in the inquiry by the Privileges Committee into his conduct.

Jeremy Quin: As set out by the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award has followed the proper processes present under successive administrations.

Ministry of Justice

Office of the Public Guardian: Telephone Services

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's current average call wait times are for individual members of the public contacting the Office of the Public Guardian.

Damian Hinds: The current average call wait time is 22 minutes and 18 seconds. This figure is for calls received during the week of 20th to 24th March 2023. The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has taken a number of steps to improve call wait times. Additional staff have recently been recruited, are being trained and are expected to start taking calls in April 2023. When customers send in Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) applications, they now receive acknowledgment letters, which has reduced the number of calls to check on application progress. OPG also identified the most common queries customers were calling about, and introduced a FAQs section on its phone lines. These steps have enabled other calls to be answered more quickly, and OPG remains committed to reducing call waiting times further.

Sexual Offences: Trials

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate has he made of the number of rape and sexual assault trials which have collapsed as a result of court delays.

Damian Hinds: We publish data on adult rape cases that do not go ahead on the day they are scheduled as 'ineffective trials'. This does not mean that the trials are ‘collapsed’, they are rescheduled and should go ahead at a later date.

Children: Custody

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he plans to take to support parents who do not live with their children to maintain contact where that contact is hindered by the resident parent or guardian.

Damian Hinds: The Government is aware of the difficulties that parents can face in continuing a relationship with their child following parental separation or divorce. Under the current legal framework, a parent can apply for a child arrangements order for the child to live with or spend time with them. The welfare of the child is paramount in any decision regarding child arrangements, including decisions about the nature and extent of parental involvement.We are committed to supporting families to resolve private family law matters outside of court where appropriate to ensure that matters are resolved earlier, before conflict becomes entrenched. The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme provides families with up to £500 towards mediation with a trained, authorised professional to help resolve child arrangement issues in a less adversarial way. As of 26 March 2023, over 16,100 families have now benefitted from the scheme. Analysis of the first 7,200 users shows 69% wholly or partially resolve their issues and don’t need to go on to court, other than for a consent order to formalise their agreement. The government announced on 23 March that an additional £15m would be provided to continue the scheme for up to a further two years. This will allow it to help around a further 28,500 families over the period.

Powers of Attorney

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Office of the Public Guardian will return to an average of eight weeks to register a Lasting Power of Attorney.

Damian Hinds: The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is facing high demand to register Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) applications, and overcoming a backlog created by the Covid-19 pandemic. To respond to this high demand and return to the average of eight weeks to register and dispatch LPAs to customers, OPG staff are working overtime and across multiple shift patterns, additional staff have been hired, and process efficiencies have been implemented. OPG aims to return to the average eight-week target before the end of the 2023-24 financial year.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government: Cybersecurity

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help protect local authorities from cyber attacks.

Lee Rowley: Local authorities have the primary responsibility for ensuring that their online presence, digital services and internal processes are protected from outside interference. In addition, the Department takes the threat of cyber attacks to councils seriously, including by undertaking a survey of malware and ransomware across all English councils following the previous attack at Redcar & Cleveland and Hackney Councils.

Private Rented Housing: Pets

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure pet owning tenants do not pay unreasonably higher rents for properties in the private rented sector.

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to encourage landlords to permit tenants to have pets within the properties they let.

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring tenants can have pets when privately renting.

Rachel Maclean: The Government has committed to making sure that private landlords in England do not unreasonably withhold consent when a tenant requests to have a pet in their home and we will give tenants the right to challenge unfair refusals.We know that some landlords are concerned about the potential damage caused by pets, so we will also allow landlords to require insurance covering pet damage. This will provide landlords with reassurance that the costs of any damage can be covered without any need to raise the rent.A full Impact Assessment will be published alongside legislation.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has met with representatives of the the Fairtrade Foundation to discuss farming support for people in poverty in developing countries in the last 12 months.

David Rutley: The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development has not yet met with representatives of the Fairtrade Foundation. The FCDO works with organisations like Fairtrade Foundation through its agriculture portfolio, which contains programmes that are designed to support farmers in the most vulnerable countries. For example, with UK International Climate Finance (ICF), we are supporting the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness programme (CASA), the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), and other agriculture interventions. Officials have consulted Fairtrade Foundation and other sector stakeholders and welcome the opportunity to continue to do so as our work evolves.

Iran: Religious Freedom

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Iran on religious freedom in that country.

David Rutley: Iran has a track record of systematic discrimination, harassment and targeting of minority religious and ethnic communities. We continue to raise human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, with Iran at all appropriate opportunities. The UK is committed to working with our partners to hold Iran to account for its dire human rights record.

Uganda: Homosexuality

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on potential responses to the Ugandan Government's Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: I have expressed the UK's deep disappointment with the decision of the Parliament of Uganda on 21 March 2023 to pass the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The UK is alarmed by the increasing criminalization of LGBT+ people in Uganda. This Bill threatens minority rights and risks persecution and discrimination of all people across Uganda. Amendments to the Bill, including introduction of the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality', are very worrying. The UK Government is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country.

Gender: Equality

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to increase the proportion of Overseas Development Assistance spent on peacebuilding that focuses on gender equality from 7 to 15 per cent.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In February 2023, the UK Government launched its fifth National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security, highlighting how we will utilise our diplomatic, defence and development levers to support women's full, equal and meaningful participation in peace building, peace processes and mediation. Further, the FCDO has committed, in our March 2023 International Women and Girls Strategy, that 80 per cent of all the FCDO's bilateral aid programmes will have a focus on gender equality by 2030. FCDO Official Development Assistance allocations are guided by the priorities set out in the International Development Strategy, the aims of which include empowering and protecting women and girls.

Development Aid: Conflict Prevention and Peace Negotiations

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his Department’s policy to increase the proportion of total Overseas Development Assistance spent on (a) peacebuilding and (b) conflict-prevention initiatives.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to conflict prevention and we welcome the Independent Commission for Aid Impact's (ICAI) recent recognition of the UK's meaningful contributions to peacebuilding. The FCDO continues to review allocations of Official Development Assistance to ensure that it is spent where it is needed most. The UK is one of the biggest supporters of the UN's Peacebuilding Fund, having committed over £175 million since the Fund's inception in 2006.

East Africa: Humanitarian Aid

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much humanitarian aid his Department has provided to help with food shortages in East Africa in the last year; and how much he plans to allocate in the next financial year.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to addressing the deteriorating food security situation across East Africa. This financial year the UK will allocate at least £156 million in humanitarian support across the region with UK funding benefitting millions of people. The UK is also working to raise the profile of the crisis with our international partners and to ensure a robust response from humanitarian and development actors. We will share information about spending plans for the next financial year at the earliest opportunity.

Development Banks

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to page 168 of his Department's annual report and accounts 2021 to 2022, published on 19 July 2022, in which institutions the £14,794 million of callable capital is subscribed.

David Rutley: When an IFI agrees a capital increase, it is comprised of some paid-in capital and some callable capital.As of 31 March 2022, the FCDO had provided £14,794 million of callable capital to the following institutions:InstitutionCallable CapitalAfrican Development Bank (AfDB)£2,573.0mAsian Development Bank (AsDB)£2,258.6mCaribbean Development Bank (CDB)£93.2mInter-American Development Bank (IADB)£1,209.2mMultilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)£57.2mInternational Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)£8,602.8mTotal14,794.0m

Refugees: Afghanistan

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people who have been approved under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme are in bridging hotels in Pakistan.

Leo Docherty: As of 29 March 2023 there are approximately 1000 eligible people being accommodated in UK Government funded hotels in Pakistan approved under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), overall responsibility for which lies with the Ministry of Defence.

Department for Business and Trade

Small Businesses: Overseas Trade

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the report of the Federation Small Business entitled Customs Clearance, published on 27 March 2023.

Nigel Huddleston: My Department has regular dialogue with FSB about services such as the Export Support Service (ESS) and welcomes their feedback. Our Export Strategy supports SMEs through initiatives such as ESS, UK Export Academy, Export Champions, International Trade Advisers and global networks.UK Export Finance (UKEF) supports SMEs with options to seek finance through its range of delivery partner financial institutions, including challenger banks and alternative lenders. As at March 2022 the British Business Bank is supporting over £12.2bn of finance to over 96,000 small and medium sized businesses.

Iron and Steel

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Budget Report 2023, HC1183, published in March 2023, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on public funding for the steel industry.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: My Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business and Trade has frequent discussions with my Rt. Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and her Cabinet colleagues about how to secure the best outcomes for the UK economy, including sectors such as steel, to ensure high-quality, well-paid jobs are available across the four nations.

Postage Stamps: Prices

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with Ofcom on trends in the price of 1st class stamps over the last five years.

Kevin Hollinrake: Ministers and officials have met with Ofcom to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the regulatory authority for the postal sector.The Government does not have a role in Royal Mail’s commercial decisions, including the price of stamps but, in setting prices, Royal Mail must observe the regulatory framework set by Ofcom. This framework imposes prices controls, ‘safeguard caps’, on certain second-class products to ensure a basic universal service is available to all at affordable prices.Ofcom will conduct a review of the safeguard caps that should apply from April 2024 including a consultation in 2023-24.

Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Seventh Report of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee entitled Royal Mail, published on 17 March 2023, HC 1045, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the powers of Ofcom to hold Royal Mail accountable for meeting the universal service obligation and its standard of service.

Kevin Hollinrake: Ofcom has the necessary powers to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards, including powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification. Ofcom will, if appropriate, issue fines for failure to meet performance targets such as the £1.5m penalty imposed on Royal Mail in 2020 for missing its 2018/19 delivery target.

Minerals: Supply Chains

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the paper by the Critical Minerals Association entitled Midstream Processing and Refining: Unlocking Security of Supply, published on 13 March 2023, whether she plans to increase the rate at which midstream plants for critical minerals are brought into production.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government is working to create an enabling environment for the growth of the UK chemicals, metals, materials and waste sectors that make up the midstream of the critical minerals value chain. This includes targeted funding, for example, through the Automotive Transformation Fund’s support of Pensana, Green Lithium, Less Common Metals and others. Government is also backing innovation through programmes such as the new £15 million Innovate UK Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains (CLIMATES) programme to boost rare earth supply chains and circular economy.

Automotive Transformation Fund: Hydrogen

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, for what reason hydrogen combustion engines are not eligible for automotive transformationfunding.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: At present, all commercial internal combustion engines produce exhaust emissions that are harmful to health. Although some companies claim hydrogen combustion engines are close to zero NOx emissions, as well as CO2, Government has yet to see evidence to illustrate that zero harmful emissions at the exhaust are possible in either laboratory or real-world conditions. We will continue to focus innovation support to fully zero emission solutions. However, if technology developments enable renewable hydrogen to be used in combustion engines with zero harmful tailpipe emissions, then we would welcome this development.

Palm Oil: Import Duties

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government plans to remove import tariffs on Malaysian palm oil in connection with negotiations over UK membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Nigel Huddleston: Following the substantial conclusion of negotiations on the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), I can confirm that the UK’s import tariffs for palm oil duties for all CPTPP Parties will be eliminated at entry into force of the UK’s accession to CPTPP.

Trade Missions: Gujarat

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many Government trade missions to India have visited Gujarat in each of the last five years.

Nigel Huddleston: There were seven Government-led trade missions between January 2017 and March 2023 to Gujarat.

Trade Agreements: European Economic Area

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterparts in the European Free Trade Association on increasing (a) goods and (b) services trade with (i) Iceland, (ii) Liechtenstein, (iii) Norway and (iv) Switzerland.

Nigel Huddleston: The United Kingdom is committed to building on our strong trading links, underpinned by our ambitious Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed in July 2021 with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein covering goods and services. My Hon. Friend the Minister of State (Nusrat Ghani) met her Norwegian counterpart in February 2023, and my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business and Trade met with the Swiss Federal Councillor in November 2022, where the United Kingdom and Switzerland expressed an ambition to launch negotiations in 2023 on an enhanced FTA. The Secretary of State and her ministerial team continue to engage their counterparts to discuss how we can maximise the benefits of our Agreements.

Business and Manufacturing Industries: Bolton

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps her Department has taken to help Bolton Council (a) support (i) businesses, (ii) exporters and (iii) manufacturers and (b) attract foreign direct investment.

Nigel Huddleston: The Department for Business and Trade offers a range of nationwide export support services which can be adapted to meet local needs. The department has recently in-housed a team of International Trade Advisors, a number of whom are based in the North- West and offer one to one export advice and support to businesses. Initiatives such as the Export Academy, the Foreign Direct Investment strategy and the Export Champions scheme offer knowledge and practical help to local businesses. The department works closely with local partners in the North-West such as the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce which covers the Bolton area.

Royal Mail

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Seventh Report of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee entitled Royal Mail, published on 17 March 2023, HC 1045, whether she plans to take steps with Ofcom to ensure that their investigation into Royal Mail (a) takes a multi-year approach and (b) accepts evidence from postal workers.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the oral evidence of the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Mail to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee on 22 February 2023, HC 1045, what steps her Department is taking with Ofcom to help ensure that Royal Mail delivers its universal service obligation.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government’s objective continues to be ensuring the provision of a sustainable, accessible and affordable universal postal service.It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification. The Government has no role in Ofcom’s regulatory investigations.Ofcom continues to monitor Royal Mail’s performance against its universal service obligation to ensure it is providing the best service it can to customers.

Trade Agreements: India

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support British companies to make trade agreements with individual Indian states; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Huddleston: Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are negotiated at country or trade-bloc level. As such we do not have any state-level free trade agreements with India.The ‘2030 Roadmap’ outlined our aim of doubling trade by 2030, with the intention to negotiate a forward-looking FTA and lowering barriers to trade through an Enhanced Trade Partnership.The UK and India are committed to working towards the best deal possible for both sides. Progress is good; however, we are clear we will only sign when we have a deal that is fair, balanced, and in the best interests of the economy.

Business: Investment

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans she has to encourage business investment.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government works to secure business investment in sectors across the economy which brings jobs and prosperity to communities across the UK, for example through the £1.4bn Global Britain Investment Fund (GBIF). In 2021 FDI topped £2 Trillion for the first time. Our High Potential Opportunities programme selects key opportunities to promote to foreign investors, driving investment into the UK’s regions and nations. My Department set up the Office for Investment in early 2021 to support a small number of the highest profile investments coming into the UK; and in October, the UK will host a second Global Investment Summit.

Home Office

Asylum: Children

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who went missing were subsequently found and returned to safety in the last 12 months.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to help (a) find and return to safety and (b) prevent the further disappearance of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Robert Jenrick: The safety and wellbeing of those in our care is our primary concern. We have safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people in hotels are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority.Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. All contingency sites have security staff on site and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.Since July 2021, when unaccompanied asylum seeking children were first accommodated in hotels, there have been 447 missing episodes (the term episode used as some children have gone missing been located and subsequently gone missing again). 186 of these young people are still missing.This is based on local management information and therefore liable to change.If a young person goes missing from a care setting, including a UASC hotel, the MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed. A multi-agency, missing persons meeting is chaired by the local authority to establish the young person's whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe. When used correctly, similar protocols within police forces have safely reduced the number of missing episodes from placements by 36%.The Home Office work with the police and local authorities to ensure the children in our care are safe and the Police are responsible for locating any missing children.

Home Office: Official Gifts

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the transparency data entitled Home Office: ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings, October to December 2022, published on 23 March 2023, whether the Fortnum and Mason hamper for the French interior minister contained any dairy products.

Robert Jenrick: No. Home Office Ministers give gifts only when diplomatic protocol or cultural context makes it appropriate.

Home Office: Official Gifts

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's publication of data on ministerial gifts for October to December 2022 on 23 March, whether any (a) import VAT or (b) customs duty was paid on the gifts she received from the (i) French interior minister on 13 November 2022 or the (ii) Italian interior minister on 16 November 2022, upon their transport back to the UK.

Robert Jenrick: Relief is available to any member of an official body, public authority or group carrying on an activity in the public interest, on return to the UK after paying an official visit. Such travellers are not required to pay duty and VAT on the importation of gifts they receive from the host authority during their official visit or after their return to the UK. The principles on tax treatment of gifts are set out in the link below: OFGIF2100 - General principles: tax treatment of gifts received by UK ministers and officials during the course of overseas visits - HMRC internal manual - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Police: Travellers

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2022 to Question 83745 on Police: Travellers, for what reason the Home Office does not hold information on the number of police forces which have adopted Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community (a) engagement strategies, (b) liaison officers and (c) points of contact for engagement.

Robert Jenrick: We are clear that all police force across England and Wales should engage and work with all of their local communities, including Gypsy and Roma Traveller Groups. However, issues relating to how engagement is undertaken with those communities is a matter for operationally independent Chief Constables of each police force to consider. They are best placed to make decisions on how best to engage with and meet the needs of those communities, based on their local knowledge and expertise.

Home Office: Travel

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's data on ministerial travel costs for October to December 2022 on 23 March, how much of the £713.07 spent on her visit to Paris on 13 November 2022 was spent on (a) Eurostar tickets, (b) overnight accommodation and (c) other expenses.

Chris Philp: Costs for the Home Secretary’s trip to Paris can be broken down as follows -Flight from London Heathrow to Paris Charles de Gaulle: £460.07Eurostar from Paris Gare du Nord to London St Pancras: €253.00 = £222.38 (approx.).There were no accommodation or expenses charged to the Home Office in Paris as the HS stayed at HM Ambassador’s Official Residence in Paris. Total spend = £682.38 When the original cost was included in the transparency report, the cost of Eurostar Travel was not correctly converted from Euro to GBP.

Asylum

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to offer safe and legal routes for asylum seekers coming from countries without an active resettlement scheme.

Robert Jenrick: Between 2015 and December 2022, just under half a million people were offered safe and legal routes into the UK– including those from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine as well as family members of refugees.This includes the granting of approximate 45,000 family reunion visas to the family members of refugees.This also includes over 28,200 refugees resettled through the government’s refugee resettlement schemes. The UK is one of the largest recipients of UNHCR referred refugees globally, second only to Sweden in Europe since 2015.The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through existing resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).Further information on existing safe and legal routes is available below:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-and-borders-bill-safe-and-legal-routes-factsheet/nationality-and-borders-bill-factsheet-safe-and-legal-routes.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made with Cabinet colleagues of the threat posed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to (a) the UK, (b) the UK's interests in the Middle East and (c) Iranians critical of the Iranian regime who are living in the UK.

Tom Tugendhat: We do not routinely comment on operational or intelligence matters, however the UK will always stand up to threats from foreign nations. As I announced in my statement to the House on the 20 February, HMG have responded to 15 credible threats to kidnap or even kill UK-based individuals by the Iranian regime. We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and will continue to take the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. The UK Government has been clear about its continued concerns over destabilising activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the UK and overseas. This includes IRGC political, financial and military support to a number of militant and proscribed groups in the region, including Hizballah in Lebanon and Syria, militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen. The UK already sanctions the IRGC in its entirety and on the 20 March, 7 further individuals were sanctioned. In concert with partners, the Home Office is leading work on countering Iranian-state threats, making use of the full breadth and expertise of the government and our extraordinary and courageous police, security, and intelligence agencies.

Pakistan: Ahmadiyya

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she has made an assessment of the threat posed by potential hate preachers supporting the persecution of and attacks on the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in the UK; and whether her Department holds data on the number of visas refused due to the individual supporting the persecution of Ahmadiyyas.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society, particularly minority groups. We assess all evidence of those that support for or justify violence and will not tolerate those who spread divisive and harmful narratives.We are aware of hate preachers and wider organisations in the UK who spread such harmful and inflammatory narratives against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Such narratives have called for the boycott and even death of Ahmadi Muslims. We are continuing to work with law enforcement agencies and multi-agency partners to ensure this is appropriately tackled and that we continue to increase our understanding of this threat.Information on the reasons why visas have been refused is not available without a manual search of individual records.

Electronic Funds Transfer: Fraud

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle authorised push payment fraud, including that which targets vulnerable people.

Tom Tugendhat: Authorised Push Payment scams are often highly sophisticated and emotionally manipulative and it is unacceptable that victims may lose their money as a result. The Government is working with industry, including the banking and tech sectors to ensure that victims are protected from these crimes in the first place and are not left out of pocket because of themThe government is legislating through the Financial Services and Markets Bill to give the Payment Systems Regulator the powers it needs to make all Payment Service Providers reimburse victims of authorised fraud on the Faster Payments System in circumstances where the victim hasn’t been grossly negligent. We expect that this will materially improve outcomes for victims and provide enhanced incentives for firms to prevent these scams in the first place. The Payment Systems Regulator has consulted on the mechanism for reimbursement and industry liability and will publish its response shortly.We are focused on stopping unscrupulous fraudsters in their tracks and supporting victims so they can recover and protect themselves. Raising awareness and safeguarding victims will form a key part of the Government’s forthcoming fraud strategy. We are already taking concrete steps to protect the most vulnerable victims:The Home Office is working with City of London Police to expand the Action Fraud National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit across England and Wales for victims whose cases are not investigated by the police. These units aims to make victims feel safer and more confident following contact, whilst assisting them to cope and recover from the crime and to significantly reduce the likelihood of repeat victimisation. The Home Office is working with City of London Police to deliver a nationwide rollout of these units..We are working with industry to do more to protect victims from fraud. We have re-launched the Joint Fraud Taskforce which brings together the public and private sectors to combat fraud and we have agreed voluntary sector charters with the banking, telecommunications and accountancy sectors that among other things have resulted in fewer scam messages reaching victims. We continue to support the National Trading Standards on the roll out of call blocking devices to vulnerable people and the National Economic Crime Centre have recently provided further funding for the delivery of additional devices. These devices have helped to provide protection against nuisance and scam calls. We have established a Victims of Fraud Working Group which brings together key stakeholders from law enforcement, victim support services and the private sector to create a forum to discuss the victim support landscape, share best practice, close vulnerabilities in the system and ensure that victims of fraud and cyber crime are consistently receiving the right level of support.

Home Office: Departmental Responsibilities

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to introduce a Minister for Economic Crime.

Tom Tugendhat: Ministerial appointments are a matter for the Prime Minister’s office.The Home Office and HM Treasury lead the policy response to tackling economic crime for government. It is right that these two departments jointly lead the government’s approach, to support system leadership that fully considers the long-term ramifications of decisions that impact both the UK’s prosperity and security. The Treasury leads on supervision and regulation, while the Home Office leads on law enforcement capabilities and related legislation

Illegal Migration Bill

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to include protections within the Illegal Migration Bill for children and families claiming asylum.

Robert Jenrick: The central premise of the Illegal Migration Bill is clear: those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach rather than risking their lives or paying people smugglers to make the illegal dangerous and unnecessary journey across the Channel. It's important that we do not incentivise people smuggling gangs to target certain vulnerable groups and the need to ensure their safeguarding, so children and families are in scope.We will ensure that the country of return or relocation is safe for all members of the family including children and they will have access to legal advice. Legal challenges which raise a real risk of serious and irreversible harm will be considered before a person is relocated to a safe third country. If the claim is upheld, they will not be relocated to that country until it is safe to do so.Unaccompanied children who arrive in the UK illegally will be provided with the necessary accommodation and support but they will not be able to stay and settle in the UK.

Asylum: Afghanistan

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) quickest and (b) slowest time was for communicating an asylum decision for an application made in the United Arab Emirates for an Afghan national who is a spouse of another Afghan national already granted asylum in the UK in the latest period for which data is available.

Robert Jenrick: There is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum or temporary refuge or make a claim for asylum or protection from abroad. Therefore, the information requested does not exist. The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help relocate at-risk people in Afghanistan. To date, nearly 24,500 people have been brought to safety. This includes British Nationals and their families, Afghans who loyally served the UK and others identified as particularly at-risk, such as campaigners for women’s rights, human rights defenders, Chevening scholars, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community. The UK continues to welcome eligible Afghans through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

Modern Slavery Act 2015

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the disclosure and reporting obligations of the Modern Slavery Act 2015; and what steps she is taking to ensure that all qualifying companies fulfil their disclosure and reporting obligations under that Act.

Miss Sarah Dines: Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more to report annually on the steps taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.Compliance with section 54 is high. Following a Home Office commission, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre completed an audit of compliance with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act. The high-level findings of this audit were published on 17 September 2020 in the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s annual report, available here: Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s annual report 2019 to 2020. To further increase compliance with section 54, the Government_response_to_transparency_in_supply_chains_consultation, published on 22 September 2020, committed to taking forwards an ambitious package of measures to strengthen the Act’s transparency legislation, including: extending the reporting requirement to public bodies with a budget of £36 million or more; mandating the specific reporting topics statements must cover; and requiring organisations to publish their statement on the Government registry. The Government has also committed to introduce financial penalties for organisations who fail to meet their statutory obligations to publish annual modern slavery statements. These measures require primary legislation and will be introduced when parliamentary time allows. The Government registry was launched in March 2021 as a key tool to monitor and improve compliance with Section 54. Since launch, over 9,800 modern slavery statements covering over 32,800 organisations have been voluntarily submitted.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Birds of Prey: Conservation

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the release of non-native (a) raptors and (b) other birds of prey into the wild.

Trudy Harrison: Release of non-native birds of prey (also known as raptors) in England is regulated by section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) which prohibits the introduction into the wild of any animal of a kind which is not ordinarily resident in, and is not a regular visitor to, Great Britain in a wild state, or any species of animal or plant listed in Schedule 9 of the Act. Section 16 of the WCA provides for the release of such non-native species into the wild if it is done under and in accordance with the terms of a licence. Any potential implications of the release would be assessed as part of the license issuing process. The refreshed GB Invasive non-native species strategy, published in early 2023, follows internationally recognised principles and priorities of prevention, rapid eradication and management, which we are committed to continuing.

Pesticides

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish the National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides.

Mark Spencer: We will publish the updated National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides in 2023.

Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain Independent Review

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the findings of the independent review into labour shortages in the food supply chain.

Mark Spencer: The Government has commissioned an independent review that will consider how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour can contribute to tackling labour shortages in the food supply chain. The review will focus on farming, processing, and food and drink manufacturing as sectors that are critical for food production and food security. The final report will be published by summer 2023 and the Government response will follow thereafter.

Supermarkets: Prices

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with supermarkets on profit levels and food pricing in response to increased food price inflation.

Mark Spencer: Defra has regular discussions with food retailers about a range of issues, including the impact of food price inflation. We are closely monitoring the situation and taking action to maintain an efficient food supply chain by mitigating against any potential burdens or friction which could otherwise drive up consumer food prices. In addition, Defra continues to work with supermarkets and producers to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. However, it is not for HM Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies. We do not actively monitor the profits of food retailers.

Agriculture: Environment Protection

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what investment her Department is making in agricultural productivity, sustainability and climate resilience.

Mark Spencer: There is a huge opportunity for UK agriculture to improve its productivity, becoming more sustainable and resilient to climate change. Launched in November 2021 the Farming Investment Fund is helping farmers invest in the equipment, technology and infrastructure that will help their businesses to prosper, while improving their productivity and enhancing the environment. To date over £32 million worth of funding has been paid out to over 3,100 farmers. We are also enabling more farmers, growers, and agri-food businesses to become involved in agricultural and horticultural R&D through the £270 million Farming Innovation Programme. Launched in October 2021, more than £90 million has now been committed. This will drive new innovation and accelerate the adoption of new technologies aimed at improving productivity and environmental resilience on farm.

Water Supply: Brent

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) quality and (b) safety of water in (i) Camden and (ii) Brent.

Rebecca Pow: Drinking water quality is controlled by the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 in England and companies are required to comply with these regulations. The Drinking Water Inspectorate is the regulator for drinking water in England, and take’s enforcement action should any breach of the standards in the regulations occur, in line with its enforcement policy. More information is available on the DWI website, including the annual report on drinking water quality and compliance tables for individual companies.

Peat Bogs: Environment Protection

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help restore peat bogs; and what targets she has set for peat bog restoration.

Trudy Harrison: The England Peat Action Plan, published in May 2021, sets out a strategic framework to improve management and protection of both our upland and lowland peatlands. In the Net Zero Strategy, we committed to restore approximately 280,000 hectares of peatland in England by 2050.  Government is currently funding peatland restoration through the Nature for Climate Fund, which aims to restore approximately 35,000 ha of peatland by 2025. This represents a tripling of historic average annual restoration levels.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Cybersecurity

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to reduce the cyber skills gap.

George Freeman: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) commissions an annual survey on the need for cyber security skills across the UK labour market, which suggests an annual shortfall of around 14,000 professionals.As part of the government's £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy, DSIT committed to significantly increase the number of people who have the skills they need to enter the cyber workforce. This requires the clarification of pathways into and through a cyber career and getting more people interested in cyber at a young age. In order to create and publicise clear routes into a cyber career DCMS funded the creation of a professional body for cyber, the UK Cyber Security Council, to create professional standards and pathways that will inform employer recruitment and an individual's career development. We deliver extracurricular youth programmes to inspire and develop future talent, including the DSIT ‘Cyber Explorers’ platform targeted at 11-14 year olds. This complements the National Cyber Security Centre ‘CyberFirst’ competitions and degree bursaries. For those already in the workforce, free cyber skills bootcamps are offered through the Department for Education ‘Skills for Life’ scheme and the DSIT ‘Upskill in Cyber’ programme.

Research: Regional Planning and Development

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the White Paper on Levelling Up the United Kingdom, published on 2 February 2022, what progress her Department has made towards its target of spending at least 55 per cent of its domestic R&D funding outside the greater South East by 2024-25; and what estimate she has made of the proportion of that funding spent outside the greater South East since February 2022 as of 27 March 2023.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the White Paper on Levelling Up the United Kingdom, published on 2 February 2022, whether her Department is on target to increase domestic public spending on R&D outside the greater South East by at least (a) 40 per cent by 2030 and (b) one third over the spending review period; and what estimate her Department has made of the proportionate increase in that spending outside the greater South East since February 2022, as of March 2023.

George Freeman: The Government is committed to increasing domestic public investment in R&D by at least 40% by 2030, and by at least a third over the spending review period. The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is committed to increasing R&D investment outside the Greater South East. In line with the commitments in the Science and Technology Framework, DSIT is also working with R&D spending departments across Government to ensure investment decisions support delivery of the mission. Progress against the mission will be tracked by the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) data on publicly funded R&D by region. DSIT and ONS continue to work with Government departments to collect and publish this data. Data for 2020/1 is scheduled for publication in April 2023. Data for the period February 2022 to March 2023 is not currently available.

Cybersecurity

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Cyber Essentials programme.

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to increase the number of businesses that apply for Cyber Essentials certification.

Paul Scully: As part of the government's £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is committed to improving cyber resilience across the economy and promoting the take-up of accreditations and standards such as the Cyber Essentials (CE) certification scheme. Over 122,000 certificates have now been issued over the lifetime of the scheme, with over 25,000 organisations, including over a third of the UK’s largest organisations, currently holding either a CE or CE Plus certificate.DSIT is working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), other government departments and industry to increase the uptake of the CE scheme, including through requiring CE certification from suppliers using procurement levers. For example DSIT recently announced a partnership with St James’s Place which now requires its partners to be CE Plus certified.The NCSC is also leading a three year funding programme, providing support to help organisations work towards certification. Over the past three months 369 support packages have been awarded to small legal aid firms and charities.Research to date has found 93% of organisations with CE are confident of protection against common cyber attacks, compared to just 71% of non-certified organisations and 83% report a positive impact on customer and investor confidence. Further research is being undertaken to assess the impact of the scheme and will be published shortly.

Social Media: Accountability

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the accountability of social media platforms for associated online transactions and incidents of fraud that occur on their platforms.

Paul Scully: The Online Safety Bill will ensure tech companies have to take proactive action to tackle the use of their platforms to commit fraud. All companies in scope of the Bill must take preventative measures to prevent fraudulent content appearing on their platforms and swiftly remove it if it does. Additionally, there will be a duty on the largest social media platforms and search engines, requiring them to tackle fraudulent adverts on their services.Ofcom will have powers to take action against companies which do not comply with their duties, including fines of up to £18 million or 10 percent of their annual global turnover, whichever is greater.

Department for Education

Disability and Special Educational Needs: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to produce a workforce plan for SEND and Alternative Provision staff before the end of this parliamentary Session.

Claire Coutinho: The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, set out that the department will work with the Department of Health and Social Care to take a joint approach to SEND workforce planning, informed by a stronger evidence base. We will establish a steering group this year to oversee this work. Further details on the steering group will be provided in due course.Oversight of our reforms will be driven by a new national SEND and AP Implementation Board, jointly chaired by Education and Health Ministers.

Pupils: Health

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of schools with medical conditions policies which are accessible to parents and carers in line with their statutory duties under Children and Families Act 2014.

Claire Coutinho: The department does not collect data on the availability of medical conditions policies. Local authorities are statutorily required to keep the provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities under review, including its sufficiency and how they work with parents, young people, and providers. This would include encouraging the availability of medical conditions policies in schools.

Treasury

Electronic Funds Transfer: Fraud

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to take steps with the Payment Systems Regulator to increase the compensation available to people affected by authorised push payment fraud.

Andrew Griffith: The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime. We have now introduced legislation in the Financial Services and Markets Bill which enables the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to mandate banks to reimburse victims of Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud. Moreover, the legislation also specifies that the PSR must mandate reimbursement for payments made via the Faster Payments system within 6 months of the legislation coming into effect. This will ensure the vast majority of victims are protected to a swift timescale. We expect that this legislation will result in more consistent and comprehensive reimbursement outcomes, ensuring victims are not left out of pocket through no fault of their own. The Government will also continue its work across Departments to tackle APP fraud at the source, and will shortly publish a comprehensive Fraud Strategy to detail our ongoing and upcoming actions.

Treasury: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 169229 on Treasury: Aviation, on how many occasions he or his predecessors have travelled overseas on non-scheduled flights with members of (a) the media and (b) business delegations in the travelling party in the period since 1 January 2021.

James Cartlidge: There has not been an occasion since 1st January 2021 in which the Chancellor travelled overseas on a non-scheduled flight with members of either the media and/or business delegations. Comprehensive details of Senior Officials’ Business Expenses, encompassing overseas and domestic flights are available on GOV.UK.

Social Security Benefits: Separated People

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) splitting and (b) alternating payments of (i) child benefit and (ii) other payments between separated parents.

John Glen: The Government has no plans to allow separated parents to split or alternate Child Benefit or other welfare payments between themselves.Two people cannot claim Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, the Universal Credit (UC) Child Element or UC childcare costs for the same child. HMRC encourages parents to decide between themselves who should receive Child Benefit or Child Tax Credit. However, where they cannot reach an agreement, HMRC is able to decide who is entitled. Likewise, where a child or qualifying young person lives with two or more people who are not a couple, only the household who has the main responsibility for the child or qualifying young person is eligible to claim the UC Child Element or UC childcare costs. The Government believes that it is in the interests of the child to direct support to the household or individual with the main responsibility for the child. If welfare payments were to be split or alternated between separated parents, it would not always clear how benefits should be apportioned between them, as shared care arrangements tend to vary over time. However, the Government recognises that both parents, whether together or separated, have a responsibility to support their children. The Child Maintenance Service is available to encourage parents to make their own child maintenance arrangements or support them through the statutory scheme.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2023 to Question 167111 on Research and Development Tax Credit, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number and proportion of SMEs claiming R&D tax credits that have R&D expenditure of between 25 and 39 per cent of their total expenditure.

Victoria Atkins: For 2023/24, it is estimated that there will be around 7,000 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) claiming R&D tax credits that will have an R&D expenditure between 25 percent and 39 percent of their total expenditure. This is based on 2019-20 data projected forward in line with the Office for Budget Responsibilities economic forecasts, so is subject to the usual uncertainties surrounding forecast values.  To support those most impacted by the R&D tax relief rate changes announced at Autumn Statement 2022, the additional tax relief for R&D intensive SMEs announced at Spring Budget 2023 is targeted specifically at loss making R&D intensive SMEs, who are most impacted by the changes.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Alternative Fuel Payments

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate her Department made of the number of people who would receive the Alternative Fuel Payment before its introduction; and how many people have received the Alternative Fuel Payment since its introduction.

Amanda Solloway: The Department estimated that around 2 million people in the UK use alternative fuels and are eligible for this payment.The Alternative Fund for the Alternative Fuel Payment, the element which requires an application, launched recently on 6 March and early data is still being collected. Electricity suppliers, who deliver the automatic enrolment element of the scheme, recently provided MPAN-level delivery data to the Government. Transparency data will be published in due course.

Electricity Generation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the amount of baseload electricity generation that is required by the UK each day; and if he will place a copy of these calculations in the House of Commons Library.

Graham Stuart: Although some power plants are referred to as baseload generators, there is no formal definition of this term. The Department also does not place requirements on generation from particular technologies. As such, it is not possible to provide this information.

Department for Transport

Shipping: Pay

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the progress of bilateral wage corridor negotiations for seafarers.

Mr Richard Holden: The UK’s Seafarers’ Wages Act obtained Royal Assent earlier this month. I am also pleased to report progress in the French National Assembly of the French Government’s legislation on minimum wages for seafarers. When our respective legislation comes into force, the UK and France will have created a minimum wage corridor on the short strait, enhancing the livelihoods of the seafarers that work on this important route. We continue to engage with a range of international partners, including France, to further enhance seafarer protections internationally.

Large Goods Vehicles: Tax Allowances

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons pickup trucks classed as never transporting tools or equipment are eligible for tax benefits; and if he will make an assessment of the impact of that tax on road safety.

Mr Richard Holden: Where an employee is provided with a vehicle by reason of their employment and it is made available for private use, there is a taxable benefit. Cars and vans are taxed different and typically the van benefit charge is lower to account for the limited private use a van can have compared to a company car. HMRC considers a double cab pick-up that has a payload of one tonne or more as a van for benefits purposes in line with the definitions used for VAT purposes. The one tonne rule only applies to double cab pick-ups, not to any other vehicle. However, it is not possible to give a blanket tax ruling for all double cab pick-ups as the standard vehicle may have been adapted once acquired. Trends in the level of pick-up truck use are not held by the Department for Transport. However, the Government is committed to ensuring that our roads are safe for all road users. All vehicles for use on the highway are rigorously tested to ensure they do not compromise on road safety.

Low Emission Zones: Greater London

Mr Louie French: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport of 20 December 2022, Official Report, column 73WH, whether Government funding was used by Transport for London to purchase ULEZ cameras before the consultation started in April 2022.

Mr Richard Holden: Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL, and it is their responsibility to manage and oversee the transport network. This includes decisions with regards to road schemes which charge users. The Mayor of London announced his decision to expand the ULEZ on 25 November 2022 following a public consultation. Prior to the Mayor’s announcement, Government had been clear, via the August 2022 longer-term funding settlement, that funding cannot be used to cover the cost of implementing the new (or any future) scheme; this includes the purchasing of cameras.

Department for Transport: Public Consultation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which consultations published by their Department are awaiting a response; and when each of those responses (a) were initially planned to and (b) will be published.

Jesse Norman: The Department, its executive agencies and arm’s-length bodies publish a large number of consultations and calls for evidence, and collating the information requested would come at a disproportionate cost for the Department. Consultations and calls for evidence are accompanied by other forms of engagement with the public and stakeholders. The Department always aims to publish government responses to consultations in a timely fashion, in line with the Government Consultation Principles, and to keep stakeholders updated on progress.

Active Travel: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the predicted (a) capital and (b) revenue funding for active travel is for the financial year 2023-24.

Jesse Norman: The Department will confirm this matter shortly. It has already confirmed that at least £100m of dedicated capital funding for active travel will be provided over the two-year period of 2023/24 to 2024/25.

Cycling and Walking: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the funding required to meet the Government's goal for half of all journeys in towns and cities being cycled or walked by 2030; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The total amount of funding needed depend on a wide range of factors, including decisions on active travel and other policies taken by local authorities. Since the first ever statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS1) in 2017, the Government has made a great deal of progress. Over the course of this Parliament, it expects a total of around £3 billion from a wide range of funding streams to be invested in delivering safe and accessible walking and cycling infrastructure as well as other measures to enable more people to walk and cycle for more of their everyday journeys.The Department will include an assessment of progress towards the 2030 goal in its next report to Parliament on the delivery of the statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

Aviation: Disability

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Civil Aviation Authority in the last 12 months on support for disabled travellers on flights.

Jesse Norman: Aviation accessibility is a priority for the Government. The Department for Transport has regular discussions with Civil Aviation Authority on a range of relevant topics, including consumer rights, accessibility and ensuring appropriate support is available for passengers who need it. In June last year, the Department and the Civil Aviation Authority wrote jointly to industry to set out their expectations of the sector, and on 27 March 2023 a joint letter was sent to CEOs across the aviation sector to set out expectations ahead of the Summer 2023 season. These letters included the provision of assistance to disabled and less mobile passengers.

Cars: Secondhand Goods

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that (a) insurance write-offs and (b) other faults are clearly advertised when second-cars are marketed.

Mr Richard Holden: As set out in published guidance for vehicle buyers, second-hand vehicles are subject to the Sale of Goods Act 1979 where purchased from a dealer and must be ‘as described’, ‘of satisfactory quality’ and ‘fit for purpose’. Additionally, the sale of a vehicle which is not in a roadworthy condition is an offence per s.75 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. These cover vehicles that have previously been written-off. The Department encourages buyers to take steps to investigate the safety and history of a vehicle, for example by getting a private history check, checking the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) agree across the vehicle and that they match the VIN recorded in the logbook, and reviewing the vehicle’s MOT history for free on GOV.UK. Buyers may also wish to obtain an independent engineer’s check to confirm the condition of the vehicle.

Aviation: Compensation

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the results of the consultation on reforming aviation consumer policy: protecting air passenger rights published on 31 January 2022.

Jesse Norman: The Department has consulted (Aviation Consumer Policy Reform Consultation) on areas of aviation consumer policy, including additional powers for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to enforce consumer rights, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and accessibility.

Ministry of Defence

RAF Lakenheath

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential are of RAF Lakenheath.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential are of RAF Mildenhall.

Alex Chalk: RAF Mildenhall is 474.518 hectares in size. RAF Lakenheath is 770.962 hectares in size. No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of these sites, as they have not been identified for disposal.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Public Consultation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, which consultations published by their Department are awaiting a response; and when each of those responses (a) were initially planned to and (b) will be published

Dr James Davies: None. The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales does not have any consultations currently awaiting a response.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Public Consultation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, which consultations published by their Department are awaiting a response; and when each of those responses (a) were initially planned to and (b) will be published.

Mr Alister Jack: I can confirm that there are currently no active or live consultations being led by my Department. Consequently, my department is not awaiting or expecting any consultation responses.